Wasia Project Performs To Sold Out Chicago Theatre Supporting Laufey [REVIEW]
Review and photo by: Dennis M. Kelly
London siblings, William Gao (Heartstopper) and Olivia Hardy (A.K.A. Wasia Project) brought their fun-loving vibes to a sold-out Chicago Theatre Sunday night in support of Laufey, on the Bewitched: The Goddess Tour. Having joined the tour last week in Nashville, the band complimented Laufey’s music with their jazzy, pop sounds and Chicago loved them!
While their set was a short 8 songs, it consisted of their most popular hits like, “ur so pretty” and “Petals On The Moon,” two of the most listened to songs on Spotify that also gained the best responses from fans.
The overall tone of the show was unbalanced, however, with some songs being upbeat and others, deep and contemplative.
The song, “Remember When” struck very heavy, emotional chords with Hardy’s vocals flowing over Gao’s melodic notes, in what would have been a very sad part of the show. It is a song about loss; a reminder that we never truly lose loved ones, and there’s a sad beauty in that truth.
But, throughout the song and the entire set, many audience members were getting up while others were being escorted back to their seats disrupting the show. This is not reflecting in any way on the band, just one of many factors as to how their set felt unbalanced. The other two factors being their time limitation and the seating at the venue not allowing fans to fully enjoy the band as they normally would at other venues.
With both of them having been classically trained between the ages of 3-4, Hardy on violin and Gao on the piano, music has always been a strong part of their lives. But it wasn’t until they turned 13 when pop and jazz music opened their eyes to all the other musical possibilities available to them.
Some of their collective influences range from Debussy, Ravel, Queen, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lana Del Rey to name a few. Over time, they successfully fused those influences together into their own bedroom pop sound that has made them who they are today.
Recently, Gao co-starred with Laufey on the music video for Goddess which was directed by Celine Song. You can watch the video below.
As the story goes, Gao followed Laufey on social media before they met and when she learned who he was, she couldn’t believe it. After hearing Wasia Project, they arranged to meet while she was in London and bonded over similar backgrounds. It was only natural for him to co-star with her on the video and Wasia Project to join her on tour.
Joining Gao and Hardy on stage were Tom Pacitti on bass guitar and Luca Wade on drums, each talented in their own right, Wade highlighted some of his skills in the closing song, “Impossible,” with a bit of a drum solo mixed into the song.
Gao’s piano work at several points through the short set evoked images of casual strolls through Central Park with gentle breezes blowing fall leaves, yet, I’ve never been to New York. His style on piano was a high point for me and was most enjoyable.
Wasia Project, as a whole, are a great band to see in venues where fans can feel free to dance, sing, and feel comfortable to be yourself in this wonderful music space they’ve created. Once their tour with Laufey concludes, they’ll have a few more dates in the states before their European shows in November. Be sure to catch them while you can!
Setlist:
1. Petals On The Moon
2. My Lover Is Sleeping
3. how can i pretend?
4. Burning Eyes R Calling
5. Remember When
6. ur so pretty
7. Is This What Love Is?
8. Impossible
Read more reviews here!
Tour:
SUNDAY 28 APRIL 8:00 PM – Chicago, IL, US – Chicago Theatre
TUESDAY 30 APRIL 8:00 PM – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
WEDNESDAY 1 MAY 8:00 PM – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall
FRIDAY 3 MAY 8:00 PM – New York (NYC), NY, US – Radio City Music Hall
SATURDAY 4 MAY 8:00 PM – New York (NYC), NY, US – Radio City Music Hall
WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 8:00 PM – Boston, MA, US – Wang Theatre, Boch Center
FRIDAY 10 MAY 8:00 PM – Philadelphia, PA, US – The Met Presented by Highmark
SATURDAY 11 MAY 8:00 PM – New York (NYC), NY, US – Bowery Ballroom
WEDNESDAY 15 MAY 7:00 PM – West Hollywood, CA, US – Troubadour
FRIDAY 19 JULY 5:00 PM – London, UK – Alexandra Palace
SUNDAY 18 AUGUST 2:00 PM – All Points East 2024 – Victoria Park, London, UK
SATURDAY 28 – SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 11:30 AM – All Things Go Music Festival – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, US
SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER 7:00 PM – Berlin, Germany – Hole44
MONDAY 4 NOVEMBER 7:00 PM – Cologne, Germany – Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER – Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 8:00 PM – Paris, France – New Morning
FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Het Zonnehuis
Video:
Official: https://wasiaproject.com/Links:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/wasia_project
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasiaproject/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wasiaproject